Yahoo! Inc., released the results of an in-depth study on how online resources influence home buyers and sellers and found that online resources played a pivotal role in the selection process and was central in helping consumers identify agents.

Consumers may ultimately gain access to a larger and more diverse collection of online real estate information when the proposed settlement between the federal government and the National Association of Realtors trade group is finally approved.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 92 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 use the Internet; 85 percent of those 30 to 49; 72 percent of those 50 to 64; and 37 percent of those 65-plus.